Toy gun with rotating magazine for discharging elastic bands

ABSTRACT

A toy gun having a handle member and an elongated spindle rotatably mounted upon the handle member. The spindle is provided with equally spaced front radial projections and equally spaced aligned rear radial projections for receiving thereover stretched rubber bands. A trigger member on the handle member is provided with a cam rod biased forward into operative engagement with a cam surface on each rear radial projection for simultaneous rotation of the spindle and removal of the elastic band from the rear projection. Upon de-actuation of the trigger means, the cam rod moves into operative engagement with the next successive rear projection.

United States Patent Darnell TOY GUN WITH ROTATING MAGAZINE FOR DISCHARGING ELASTIC BANDS Wayne Lee Darnell, Rt. 6, Hwy. 79, Clarksville, Tenn. 37040 Filed: June 14, 1971 Appl. No.: 152,544

Inventor:

US. Cl 124/19, 124/48, 124/35 Int. Cl. F4lb 7/02, F4lb 7/09 Field 01' Search 124/18, 48, 19, 41,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1935 Ross 124/19 Primary ExaminerRichard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-William R. Browne Attorney-Harrington A. Lackey [57] ABSTRACT A toy gun having a handle member and an elongated spindle rotatably mounted upon the handle member. The spindle is provided with equally spaced front radial projections and equally spaced aligned rear radial projections for receiving thereover stretched rubber bands. A trigger member on the handle member is provided with a cam rod biased forward into operative engagement with a cam surface on each rear radial projection for simultaneous rotation of the spindle and removal of the elastic band from the rear projection. Upon de-actuation of the trigger means, the cam rod moves into operative engagement with the next successive rear projection.

5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PAIENIEUSEH 1 I975 INVENTOR Way/v 55 Dam/44 BY A ORNEY TOY GUN WITH ROTATING MAGAZINEFOR DISCI-IARGING ELASTIC BANDS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a toy gun, and more particularly to a toy revolving gun for repeatedly discharging elastic bands.

Most toy guns of the repeater type for discharging elastic bands support a plurality of elastic bands between the muzzle of the gun and successive projections upon a rotary member mountedon a transverse rotary axis. 1

One prior US. Pat. No. 3,515,387 issued to House on June 2, 1970 does disclose a barrel mounted on the handle member for rotation about the longitudinal axis of the spindle or barrel. However, the elastic bands are discharged by the operator manually rotating the barrel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel toy gun for discharging, successively, a pluarlity of elastic bands, in which the bands are supported upon a spindle mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis. The toy gun is further providedwith a trigger means for automatically releasing the bands and rotating the spindle a predetermined increment for discharging the next successive band.

The rotary spindle is provided with uniformly, circumferentially spaced, front radial projections and aligned rear radial projections for supporting a plurality of elastic bands longitudinally of the spindle. A trigger member is pivotally mounted upon the handle member, and a cam member is pivotally mounted to the trigger member for slidable and radialengagement with a cooperating cam surface on each rear projection. As the trigger member is pulled or actuated, the cam rod rides radially on its corresponding cam surface to simultaneously release the elastic band on that particular projection and to rotate the projection through one increment to place the next successive band and its corresponding projections in firingposition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS member and rear portion of the spindle, with parts shown in section, .and with the trigger member disclosed in inoperative position;

FIG. 5 is a section taken along the line 5-5of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view, somewhat similar to FIG. 4, but disclosingthe trigger member in operative position;

FIG. 7 is a section taken along theline 77of FIG.

DESGRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in more detail, the toy pistol 10, made in accordance with this invention for discharging elastic bands 11, includes a handle or sup port member 12, a rotary spindle 13 and a trigger actuator 14.

The handle member 12 has a handle or pistol grip 16 for gripping by the hand of the operator, and a trigger housing 17 having a front wall 18 with a substantially flat forward facing surface.

The spindle 13 is provided with a plurality of uniformly, circumferentially spaced, radially extending, front projections 20. Longitudinally aligned with the front projections 20 are a plurality of equally circumferentially spaced, radially extending, rear projections 21. Each pair of longitudinally aligned front and rear projections 20 and 21 are adapted to receive thereover a stretched elastic band 11.

The rear end of the spindle member 13 is rotatably mounted upon the front wall 18 of thehandle member 12 by means of an elongated journal bolt 23. The rear face of the spindle 13 or rear projections 12 are held closely adjacent the forward surface of the front wall 18, yet not so close as to retard rotation of the spindle 13 relative to the handle member 12.

Radially formed in the rear surface of each rear projection 21 is an elongated cam surface or groove 24.

The trigger actuator 14 includes a trigger member .26, the upper front end portion being pivotally connected within the bottom portionof the trigger housing 18 by a pivot pin 27. Pivotally connected to the rear upper portion of the trigger member26 bypivotpin 28 is the lower endof an elongated cam rod 30. The cam rod 30-is biased forward by spring 31 to extend through guide slot 32 in the front wall 18, so that the forward free end ofthe cam rod 30 normally, in inoperative position, is received in the cam groove 24 of one ofthe rear projections 21, as best disclosed in FIGS. 3and 5.

The trigger member 26 is biased forward intoinoperative position by means of a trigger spring 34.

A loading recess 35 is formedin the sidewall of the housing 17 so thatit opens in the rotaryplane of the rear projections 21. Thus, as each rear projection 21 is aligned with the loading recess 35,.an elastic band 11 may be fitted over the registering :rear projection 21 andits aligned frontprojection 20.In FIG. 1,none of the rear projections21 are aligned with theloadingrecess 35.

In order tooperate the .toygun 10,-the spindle l3jis manually rotated to align successive rearprojections 21 with the loading recess 35, so that an elastic band .11 may be loaded upon the frontand rear aligned projections 20 and 21. In the drawings, six front projections 20 and six corresponding rearprojections 21 are disclosed, so thatthe loading capacity of the gun 10.is.six elasticbands 11.

After the gun 10 is loaded, the operatorlgraspspistol grip 1.6, aims the gun 10 at a desired target, and pulls the trigger member .26 rearward from the inoperative .positiondisclosed in FIG. 4, to the operative .position disclosed in FIG. 6. As the trigger member 26 pivots rearward about its pivot pin 27, the cam rod .30 is forced upward in the guide slot32 simultaneously ridingradially outward in the cam groove 24 of theirear projection 21, with which the cam rod is operatively engaged. As the cam rod 30 is forced upward in the guide slot 32, the rear projection 21 is rotated clockwise as viewed in FIGS. 3, 5 and 7, so that the rear projection 21 is moved from its inclined position in FIG. 5, through approximately 60 to its upright position in FIG. 7.

As best disclosed in FIG. 6, as the trigger member 26 approaches its rearmost position, the cam rod 30 is moving to the outer radial extremity of its corresponding rear projection 21, in which position it engages and moves the rear portion of the elastic band 11 radially upward and off of the free end of the corresponding rear projection 21. As the elastic band 11 (FIG. 6) is released from the rear projection 21, the energy stored in the stretched band propels it forward, releasing it from the aligned front projection 20 so that the entire band 11 is propelled forward from the gun 10.

As the trigger member 26 is released, it is urged forward to its original position disclosed in FIG. 4 by the tension in the trigger spring 34. During the return movement of the trigger member 26, the cam rod 30 returns downward through the guide slot 32. However, since the only pressure exerted by the cam rod 30 against the rear face of the rear projections 21 is created by the relatively weak spring 31, the cam rod 30 does not have sufficient force to counter-rotate the spindle 13. Instead, the cam rod 30 rides over the rear face of the projections 21 in the direction of the elongated slot 32, until the free end of the cam rod 30 engages the cam surface 24 of the next trailing rear projection 21 Thus, the trigger 26 and cam rod 30 are restored to their original positions disclosed in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, preparatory to repeating the firing and incremental revolving operation, upon the next actuation of the trigger member 26.

Although a radial cam groove 24 is formed in the rear face of each rear projection 21, nevertheless it is conceivable that the cam grooves 24 could be eliminated, and that the cam rod 30 could ride instead on the side edge surfaces of the rear projections 21, and still function, within the scope of the invention, to successively discharge the elastic bands 11 and to revolve the spindle 13.

What is claimed is:

l. A toy gun for discharging elastic bands, comprismg:

a. a handle member,

b. an elongated spindle having a front end and a rear end,

c. means mounting said spindle on said handle member for rotary movement about the longitudinal axis of said spindle,

d. circumferentially, uniformly spaced from radial projections on the front end of said spindle,

e. a rear radial projection having a rear face on the rear end of said spindle longitudinally aligned with each of said front radial projections,

f. each longitudinally aligned pair of front and rear projections being adapted to receive thereover a stretched elastic band,

g. an elongated cam surface extending substantially radially of the rear face of each of said rear projections,

h. trigger means comprising a trigger member mounted on said handle member for actuation and de-actuation,

i. a movable cam member operatively connected to said trigger member and slidably engaging the cam surface for general radial movement along said cam surface,

j. said trigger means being actuable to move said cam member radially outward along said cam surface to rotate said spindle an increment equal to the spacing between said rear radial projections, and to engage and radially move a rubber band portion suspended on said rear projection off the free end of said rear projection,

k. said trigger member, when de-actuated, causing said cam member to ride across said cam surface to engage the cam surface of the next trailing rear projection.

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which said cam surface is an elongated cam groove extending radially of the rear face of each of said rear projections, said cam member slidably engaging said groove.

3. The invention according to claim 2 in which said cam member is a rod having one end operatively connected to said trigger member and an opposite end riding in said cam groove, spring means biasing said rod toward engagement with each one of said successive radial grooves.

4. The invention according to claim 3 in which said trigger member is pivotally connected to said handle member, and second spring means biasing said trigger member to its de-actuated position, said one end of said cam rod being pivotally connected to said trigger member.

5. The invention according to claim 4 in which said handle member comprises a forward-facing surface, said mounting means journaling the rear end of said spindle for rotation proximate to said forward-facing surface, an elongated slot extending through said forward-facing surface, said cam rod extending through said slot to engage the cam groove of a rear projection, said slot being disposed at an angle to the radial direction of the rear projection operatively engaged by said cam rod, so that when said trigger member is actuated, said cam rod cooperatively rides in said slot and said cam groove to rotate said spindle, and when said trigger member is de-actuated, said cam rod returns in said slot until it operatively engages the cam groove of the next trailing rear projection. 

1. A toy gun for discharging elastic bands, comprising: a. a handle member, b. an elongated spindle having a front end and a rear end, c. means mounting said spindle on said handle member for rotary movement about the longitudinal axis of said spindle, d. circumferentially, uniformly spaced front radial projections on the front end of said spindle, e. a rear radial projection having a rear face on the rear end of said spindle longitudinally aligned with each of said front radial projections, f. each longitudinally aligned pair of front and rear projections being adapted to receive thereover a stretched elastic band, g. an elongated cam surface extending substantially radially of the rear face of each of said rear projections, h. trigger means comprising a trigger member mounted on said handle member for actuation and de-actuation, i. a movable cam member operatively connected to said trigger member and slidably engaging the cam surface for general radial movement along said cam surface, j. said trigger means being actuable to move said cam member radially outward along said cam surface to rotate said spindle an increment equal to the spacing between said rear radial projections, and to engage and radially move a rubber band portion suspended on said rear projection off the free end of said rear projection, k. said trigger member, when de-actuated, causing said cam member to ride across said cam surface to engage the cam surface of the next trailing rear projection.
 2. The invention according to claim 1 in which said cam surface is an elongated cam groove extending radially of the rear face of each of said rear projections, said cam member slidably engaging said groove.
 3. The invention according to claim 2 in which said cam member is a rod having one end operatively connected to said trigger member and an opposite end riding in said cam groove, spring means biasing said rod toward engagement with each one of said successive radial grooves.
 4. The invention according to claim 3 in which said trigger member is pivotally connected to said handle member, and second spring means biasing said trigger member to its de-actuated position, said one end of said cam rod being pivotally connected to said trigger member.
 5. The invention according to claim 4 in which said handle member comprises a forward-facing surface, said mounting means journaling the rear end of said spindle for rotation proximate to said forward-facing surface, an elongateD slot extending through said forward-facing surface, said cam rod extending through said slot to engage the cam groove of a rear projection, said slot being disposed at an angle to the radial direction of the rear projection operatively engaged by said cam rod, so that when said trigger member is actuated, said cam rod cooperatively rides in said slot and said cam groove to rotate said spindle, and when said trigger member is de-actuated, said cam rod returns in said slot until it operatively engages the cam groove of the next trailing rear projection. 